Reading of the Word of God
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Whoever lives and believes in me
will never die.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
Proverbs 14, 1-19
Wisdom builds herself a house; with her own hands Folly pulls it down.
Whoever keeps to an honest course fears Yahweh, whoever deserts his paths shows contempt for him.
Pride sprouts in the mouth of the fool, the lips of the wise keep them safe.
No oxen, empty manger; strong bull, much cash.
The truthful witness tells no lies, the false witness lies with every breath.
In vain the mocker looks for wisdom, knowledge comes easy to the intelligent.
Keep well clear of the fool, you will not find wise lips there.
With people of discretion, wisdom keeps a watch over their conduct, but the folly of fools leads them astray.
Fools mock at the sacrifice for sin, but favour resides among the honest.
The heart knows its own grief best, nor can a stranger share its joy.
The house of the wicked will be destroyed, the tent of the honest will prosper.
There are ways that some think straight, but they lead in the end to death.
Even in laughter the heart finds sadness, and joy makes way for sorrow.
The miscreant will reap the reward of his conduct, and the good the reward of his deeds.
The simpleton believes any message, a person of discretion treads a careful path.
The wise fears evil and avoids it, the fool is insolent and conceited.
A quick-tempered person commits rash acts, but a schemer is detestable.
Simpletons have folly for their portion, people of discretion knowledge for their crown.
The evil bow down before the good, the wicked, at the gates of the upright.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
If you believe, you will see the glory of God,
thus says the Lord.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia
As can be easily seen, the proverbs are arranged by pairs per verse, and the first half is generally opposed to the second. The most common contrast is between the wise and the foolish, as, for example, in verses 1 and 3: "The wise woman builds her house, but the foolish tears it down with her own hands... The talk of fools is a rod for their backs, but the lips of the wise preserve them." In other cases, the second part of the verse completes the first, as in verse 7: "Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not find words of knowledge." The contrast between the wise and the foolish indicates that there is no middle road between them. Those who do not gain wisdom by listening to God’s teaching like children remain foolish. All we have to do to become wise is to begin again to listen to the word of God faithfully, and everything in our lives can change. The path of wisdom is open to all, but the path of foolishness is easier and more instinctive. This is why we often read warnings not to spend time with the foolish: "Leave the presence of a fool, for there you do not find words of knowledge." Pride and arrogance prevent us from seeking wisdom: "A scoffer seeks wisdom in vain, but knowledge is easy for one who understands." The foolish person who feels self-assured is not guaranteed success: "The wise are cautious and turn away from evil, but the fool throws off restraint and is careless." Caution is a wise attitude in a world where there are many fears but little fear of God. Humility is the way to acquire wisdom. Another theme that is often addressed by the book is the apparent success of the foolish and their eventual failure. We saw this in the first verse, where the foolish woman is presented as someone who tears down her house with her own hands. And again in verse 11: "The house of the wicked is destroyed, but the tent of the upright flourishes." In the end, even those who do evil will recognize the victory of the wise, "The evil bow down before the good, the wicked at the gates of the righteous." We do not need to become resigned in front of evil, convinced that it is not worth it to fight for good, as if the fight were unfair. The Lord tells us that victory only belongs to good and that even the wicked will have to recognize that. As we ourselves may have experienced, goodness can even win over enemies to the cause of good.
Prayer is the heart of the life of the Community of Sant'Egidio and is its absolute priority. At the end of the day, every the Community of Sant'Egidio, large or small, gathers around the Lord to listen to his Word. The Word of God and the prayer are, in fact, the very basis of the whole life of the Community. The disciples cannot do other than remain at the feet of Jesus, as did Mary of Bethany, to receive his love and learn his ways (Phil. 2:5).
So every evening, when the Community returns to the feet of the Lord, it repeats the words of the anonymous disciple: " Lord, teach us how to pray". Jesus, Master of prayer, continues to answer: "When you pray, say: Abba, Father". It is not a simple exhortation, it is much more. With these words Jesus lets the disciples participate in his own relationship with the Father. Therefore in prayer, the fact of being children of the Father who is in heaven, comes before the words we may say. So praying is above all a way of being! That is to say we are children who turn with faith to the Father, certain that they will be heard.
Jesus teaches us to call God "Our Father". And not simply "Father" or "My Father". Disciples, even when they pray on their own, are never isolated nor they are orphans; they are always members of the Lord's family.
In praying together, beside the mystery of being children of God, there is also the mystery of brotherhood, as the Father of the Church said: "You cannot have God as father without having the church as mother". When praying together, the Holy Spirit assembles the disciples in the upper room together with Mary, the Lord's mother, so that they may direct their gaze towards the Lord's face and learn from Him the secret of his Heart.
The Communities of Sant'Egidio all over the world gather in the various places of prayer and lay before the Lord the hopes and the sufferings of the tired, exhausted crowds of which the Gospel speaks ( Mat. 9: 3-7 ), In these ancient crowds we can see the huge masses of the modern cities, the millions of refugees who continue to flee their countries, the poor, relegated to the very fringe of life and all those who are waiting for someone to take care of them. Praying together includes the cry, the invocation, the aspiration, the desire for peace, the healing and salvation of the men and women of this world. Prayer is never in vain; it rises ceaselessly to the Lord so that anguish is turned into hope, tears into joy, despair into happiness, and solitude into communion. May the Kingdom of God come soon among people!
For the sick, in memory of the dead, for peace
